The Bright Lights
by iRocka
Summary: Oneshot dedicated to LionsLady11-09-70. She lived in a world where the spotlight was always on her, but she didn't want it that way. She missed home. She missed him. More importantly, she missed whom she used to be before she got tangled up in this mess.


**Hello there, lovers and friends. This is a oneshot for LionsLady11-09-70.  
This story was loosely based on Bright Lights by Billy Crawford, a conversation with my friends and a picture on deviantart: 'tymms 2' by =P3T3R-KURT3N-GROUPI3. Props to them for the inspiration.**

**Anna, I hope you like this. If you don't, just say the word and another one will be written for you. Thanks!**

"Randy, you know I have a really busy schedule. I can't leave work anytime soon or I'll lose my shot to go to Milan for the Fashion Week." Anna said begrudgingly on the phone. She hated telling her boyfriend that she couldn't go to barbecues or family reunions. "The Ed Hardy runway show is counting on me. I can't let them down. I'll lose my job."

Life wasn't always like this for the twenty-five year old. She never wanted to become a sought-after model that even TMZ never fails to notice. The moment she had tied up with Randy Orton and the rest of the WWE, all the more that people noticed and saw her as some kind of public property. She never got a moment alone even she screamed. This was the curse laid on what used to be a shy and quiet baseball-loving American girl. She could make millions by the minute, but she had to sacrifice too many things to get there.

_"Babe, I haven't seen you in almost a year. You missed my birthday, our anniversary and even almost missed Christmas with the family! You're going to have to come home some day. That work of yours is killing you. I'm not saying this because I don't want you doing what you love. It's just that… I really miss you."_

Letting out a huge sigh, she shook her head and pressed the phone closer to her ear, trying to lavish the sound of Randy's voice. He wasn't in one of his psychotic states and his voice had gone sweet, a moment that Anna loved to cherish. "I really miss you, too." She whispered out.

These hotel rooms have grown to give her an icebox for a heart. Since she was always gone for months at a time, she had learned how to stop longing for home and dealing with the fact that she was miles away. Still, though, there were days she wished that she could go back and stop this rollercoaster. It wasn't fun anymore and it was literally killing her. All the stage lights glared at her and the spotlights were always watching her every move. Even camera flashes made her blind and feel sick.

_"Then come home. I'm sure Milan will still be Milan next year. I'm sure you'll still get a chance, babe. I believe in you."_

She tried to keep it down, but he managed to hear her sniffling. The tears had gone seriously out and were mentally and emotionally slapping her silly. He was right. Milan will forever be Milan and she can always get another chance when she really wants it to happen. Right now, her heart wasn't in the fashion.

"Randy, I can't let people down like this." She whispered, thankful that she had a few moments alone in her room before her agent stormed in to tell her how her diet should be going and that she could only drink vitamin water.

_"Anna, think about it. Why do you have to be so concerned about what they want from you? You still have a life. You don't live in their shadows. You're letting yourself and your family down more than whatever you could do to those photographers."_

"How's little Nicky?" she asked, wanting to know how her favorite nephew was.

_"He's always talking for a three-year old. He asks where his Aunt Annie goes and why he doesn't see her for long periods of time. He wanted you to be there when he saw his first firework display; even on his first day at that jungle gym preschool."_

"Tell him Auntie Annie will be home soon." She said, wanting another day outdoors with his nephew.

_"Even Vince misses seeing you around, Anna. Since you quit your job as a diva, I guess everyone's been down. John tells me he missed watching the game with you."_

John had been Anna's best guy friend since forever. He had also been the main reason why she even got into the WWE and fell in love with Randy. When a scout found her and told her she could become a model, John hadn't been one of the most cheerful supporters, but if she wanted to do it, he would back her up a hundred percent.

"Anna!" Frederick Mark's voice boomed through her room. Her agent for two years, Frederick Mark, had always been a prick to everyone in the wrestling business. He always feared that they would convince his little treasure to go back to her diva days. It would have been bad for him and the three families he was currently secretly supporting.

"I've got to go, Randy. Love you." She said in a rush before cutting the call and turning around in her swivel chair. She met the piercing hazel eyes of her agent and softly cowered underneath his satanic glare. "Yes, Mark?"

"Ed Hardy wants you in hair and make-up now. They scheduled a last-minute shoot half an hour from now and you're starting the show. Get off your ass and get moving." He said quickly before half-dragging her across the room and into the waiting car outside. Yes, this was how sad her life had become.

* * *

Hearing the beeping sound on the phone, Randy let out a frustrated sigh and placed it down on the bedside table. His girl was never home nowadays and their calls had never reached ten minutes. She was always busy going to some chic label photo-shoot or a runway rehearsal for the upcoming Fashion Week. He missed her. There was no doubt about that. He knew that she also wanted to come home more. Every time they would be able to talk, she was either dead-tired with a groggy voice or crying because she wanted to hug someone. Everyone back home felt her pain. The most they could do was hug the television whenever she could come up.

"Yo, dude, what's with the long face? You're starting to look older than my old man." John Cena's entrances never failed to make Randy roll his eyes and give off a slight chuckle. The Doctor of Thuganomics was a killer comedian and even the mere sight of his face could set you laughing.

"Just got off the phone with Anna." Randy replied, the disappointment and hurt evident in his voice. "I don't think she's going to make it to the McMahon's barbecue."

"Dude." John said and sat down on the sofa beside Randy. "How are you going to break that to the man? You know how Vinnie Mac loves that chick. He's gonna go crazy over this shit. Worst comes to worst, he's gonna call up that agency that's got her working twenty-four seven and get her ass back here."

"I know he would do that. I just don't know how to tell him that she won't be able to make it back anytime soon." Randy said, remembering his conversation with Anna. The rest of the world had been wondering where she was off to. She never came back and she was always stuck in New York or Paris doing some shoot. It wasn't normal not seeing her with Randy.

John gave his best friend a pat on the back and a reassuring smile, "I'm sure Anna knows when it's time to come home, bro. You just gotta trust her and cover for her for now."

* * *

Slamming the door shut to her New York apartment, Anna stepped in and lavished the atmosphere around her. It was dark and she would have opened her eyes to see better if they hadn't been begging to be closed. She took the scarf off her neck and hung it on the post beside the door. She then followed it with her coat and floppy messenger hat. It had been a rough week and shy little Anna needed some time and space to get herself back together.

She walked further into the apartment and dropped herself on the couch. New York got really cold during Christmastime. Sometimes, the heater couldn't keep her warm and toasty so she needed to get extra blankets and sweaters from the closet. She wrapped herself in the cloths and lay down on one of the pillows. She was too tired to walk to the bedroom. She would have to be content with where she was now.

_"Mark, I'm tired of this. I want to go home and spend time with my family and friends. You've kept me here in Paris for God knows how long and I deserve some time off." Anna strictly enforced upon her agent. She knew she had a long lecture coming up for her but that had been the last of her worries. She needed time off. She was going to get it._

_"I made you, Anna. I made your name. I made you rich. I made you famous." He replied gloatingly. "The least you could is stay here and do what I tell you to do. If you walk out on these clients, I will fire you for good. I didn't get them wanting you for their labels just so you could be a bitch and walk out on me."_

_"I'm not walking out." She said and half-whined. "I'm just saying that you've kept me here long enough. I have a life, too, and a family that needs to see me more than just two days a year. I don't even get to talk to them on the phone!"_

_"That's the price of being here. You want it? You work for it." He said and turned his back on her to get back to his paperwork. "Don't worry, Anna. Just three more months and you can go to Milan to work with Chanel or Dior. Even both! After that, you'll have a few more promotional events for a few months then you can go home for a day or two."_

_She shook her head and sternly said, "Mark, I want the break now. I don't care about what the people from Ed Hardy or Affliction say. If they want me, they're going to have to wait for me. That's my ground rule. I'm not doing another show or shoot without this break."_

_In a second, Frederick Mark said the two words Donald Trump made famous: 'You're Fired.' She wasn't exactly happy that it was okay for him to let go of such a treasure like her. It was like she was just nothing to him. She didn't matter. All that mattered was how much money she made him and how many people she could satisfy by sight and income. These people never cared about her or her welfare. They were just that damn up there. She was tired of it. She walked away._

A few hours later, Anna woke up to feel some sunlight hitting her face. She didn't know how long she had been knocked out, or perhaps how many people have tried to contact her upon hearing the news that she had walked away and quit her high-paying job. She expected it to be on the tabloids and news shows by now and needless to say, the public wasn't always consisted of the nicest people.

Moving around slightly, she felt some movement under her head. She pushed herself up with one arm and looked up at the figured that was holding her. Breathing out a gigantic sigh of relief, she smiled when she saw Randy sleeping soundly on the same sofa she was on. He had her lying down on his chest and curled up into a blanket. She didn't remember hearing or seeing him, so he must have come while she was severely knocked out.

Placing a kiss on his cheek, she pushed herself further up and sat up straight. She stretched her arms way up into the sky and felt a small twinge of freedom in her heart. This was the first time in a long time that she woke up without being woken up. She could have slept for days without anyone bothering her and it felt great. It felt great.

Standing up and walking to the bedroom, she pulled out her favorite flannel shirt and white shorts from her drawers. She changed her clothes and set her light brown hair loose from the confines of the ponytail it had been in since she boarded the plane from Paris. She brushed her teeth and washed her face before heading to the kitchen.

She prodded her way across the cold tiled floor and went straight to the cabinets. She made some hot chocolate knowing that it was her and Randy's personal favorite whenever they were bonding. It had been months since she'd made and drank this. Pouring two steaming mugs of hot chocolate, she soon popped in several marshmallows and whipped cream. She carried the drinks carefully to the living room and placed them down on the coffee table.

She looked around and saw that Randy was gone. That was strange. He wasn't anywhere else she had been in the apartment. Scratching her head at the mystery, Anna soon squealed upon being picked up from where she stood and swung around in a heated kiss. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her man. It had been too long since she'd gotten that kiss.

She pulled away giggling and smiling like a lunatic. She pressed her head onto his and looked lovingly into his blue eyes, "Hey there, stranger. I love you."

He smiled back and gave her a peck, "I love you, too."

He placed her down and she grabbed their hot chocolates from where she had put them. He handed one to him and clinked mugs with him. She took a sip of her hot chocolate and instantly fell into heaven. She started laughing like crazy and got excited to eat all the marshmallows in her mug. Randy could only look on and smile. God, he missed her laugh.

They sat back down on the sofa and continued drinking their hot chocolate. It was beginning to snow outside and the Christmas feel was in the air. Still, though, they chose to stay inside. His arm was lazily slung around her shoulders as she leant on his chest. They sipped their hot drinks as they enjoyed each other's silent presence.

"Do you know what happened?" she asked, breaking the silence and confronting her own personal fears.

"It's all over the news." He replied quietly, not knowing how she would take it.

"How are people taking it? What's happening?"

"Mark's getting killed by the creative representatives from the labels. They're telling him that he should have given you a break instead of firing you on the spot. His agency's getting grilled and they're pulling their businesses out. His models are leaving, too." He replied and smiled. "You made the change, babe."

She looked down, "I never thought it would be that big. I mean… I just wanted a few days off since I've been gone for months and I missed everyone back here."

"Actually, you've been gone ten months, eighteen days and six hours." Randy said and looked at Anna to find her staring curiously at him. "What? I've kept track of how long you've been gone. I feel that it helps when I countdown until when you'll be back. You are not an easy girl to miss, believe me."

She smiled and chuckled. Even when she was at one of her lowest points, he never failed to make her smile. To contrary belief, Randy was never a sly playboy who wanted to bed a girl every single night. He was actually one of the sweetest guys ever to grace the Raw Roster. He knew how to treat a girl and he'd make sure he got everything right the first time. There were no flub ups when it came to the Orton romancing.

"What do we do now, Randy?" she asked, knowing he was probably wondering the same thing she was. She didn't know what she was going to do now that she didn't have a job or even a bit of stable income to support herself. Her independent nature also dictated her to not rely on Randy. It was too much dependence for her.

"You need to take a short break." He said, sure of his answer.

"What will I do after?" she asked.

"We'll get you back the life you really want and love." He replied. "It's not taking no for an answer."

* * *

"Good morning, Anna." came the early morning greeting of an excited Randy Orton. He was jumping around on her bed and it was a sure sign that he had something up his sleeve.

"Where am I?" she asked, sensing that she was in an unfamiliar place. She laughed upon seeing Randy jumping around her bed. "Where am I and what have you done to me, Randy? Last thing I remember was that dinner you bought me."

"Well, honestly, I put some sleeping pills in that so you would fall asleep. Then, I got Vince to lend me the company jet so I can take you on the proper celebration of our second anniversary." He said and smiled like a lunatic crossed with a little kid who had just been given a huge lollipop for breakfast.

"Are you freaking serious, Randal Keith Orton?" she said and raised an eyebrow at him. He came up with the strangest of ideas and executed them in the craziest of matter. Sometimes, they all felt like throwing him into the asylum.

He nodded happily and said, "Sorry, babe. I just had to find away to surprise you properly."

"Well, you found a way. Now, I don't see the surprise." She said and chuckled. He stood up and got her to stand up along with him. He pulled her away from the bed and out onto the balcony where the sun was shining gently on them. It looked like it was about five in the morning and it couldn't have gotten any more beautiful.

"Look at where we are." He said and smiled at her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and watched her sink in what she was looking at. The way her eyes widened and her mouth opened into a 'o' was priceless. He thought she wasn't breathing already as she stared at the sight before her.

There they were, standing on the balcony of a hotel. The folks outside were just beginning their everyday lives as they prepared their breakfasts and cleaned their fancy little cars. The lampposts were still dimly lit as they lined up on the sides of the cement brick road. All the fancy colors and fashions of the boutiques on their street were coming out to the early morning's sunshine. Milan was coming alive.

She spun around to face him and smiled as he gave her a loving look she wished she could capture on a camera. She squealed and hugged him tight as he chuckled at her reactions. She looked around the place and watched as the townsfolk began to wave hello at them. They were foreigners and it was natural for the people to greet them wholeheartedly.

"This isn't Fashion Week." Randy began and caught her attention. She spun around to face him and tucked her hair behind her ears. Yes, this wasn't Fashion Week. She was in his polo and some shorts with her hair messed up and she wouldn't be caught dead in a high-profile event wearing that.

"I'm not even dressed to the nines." He continued. He was right. All he was sporting was a pair of black boxer shorts and a fit white muscle shirt that amplified his killer body. "I'm didn't plan any formal event or even a strangely lit romantic dinner for you and me. I just told myself I'd do this when the time was right."

He knelt down on one knee as they began to gather an audience amongst the townspeople. She placed her hand directly on her mouth as the shock began to consume her senses. This was it. He held her hand and spoke, "Anna, this probably isn't the perfect way to ask you this. It's five-thirty in the morning and you and I look like we'd just gotten up."

"We're on the balcony of a hotel in Milan and there are random people watching us right now. They're watching me do this and I admit that I am really really annoyed." He said and made her laugh a bit. "But there's no better time and way for me to say the things I'm about to say. These are the words and this is the moment."

He took a deep breath before starting again, "This has never been easy for us. Just a few months back, you lost your job and came home. It didn't make me happy to see you sad over being fired by an asshole, but I was happy seeing you become yourself again. You were becoming the Anna we all love and miss. You weren't some high-profile model anymore. You were you."

"You, John and Mickie began to hang out more. You got back into wrestling training with Dave and Jericho. You managed to work your way back into the WWE Diva way of life and it made me so happy to see you enjoying every step you take. No one was holding down and you were loving it. The best part was, you were with me more. I didn't have to rely on just remembering the times you and I were together."

He pulled out a black ring box from the pocket of his shorts and opened it to reveal a shimmering pink diamond engagement ring. Even he was taken away by its beauty as he presented it to her. "I really love you, Anna. I want you to marry me." He said.

"Only if you ask nicely." She said and chuckled. He followed suit and stood up to full height.

He met her eyes with his and smiled, "I love you. Will you marry me?"

She nodded and felt soft tears well up in her eyes. He slipped the ring onto her finger and followed it up with a huge passionate kiss. Soon enough, there were fireworks lighting up the night sky as they gazed into each other's eyes and giggled and the scene. The townspeople who had been watching them were clapping their hands and throwing flowers up in the air. She watched the fireworks light up the sky and gazed at her shimmering ring. It looked like there were little lights trapped into the stone embedded on it. She said, "I thought you didn't plan anything really special?"

Randy guiltily replied, "Okay, maybe I did plan the fireworks."

She smiled and said it was okay.  
The lights were beautiful for a change.

_

* * *

_

**Please read AND review. It smothers me to see many people read, but only a choice number review. Criticisms and praises are always welcome in this world. It's all legit so don't be afraid to speak your mind. Thanks!**

**-_veracruzortongal_**


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